Asparagus Casserole

I have distinct childhood memories associated with asparagus. Growing up, my family owned six acres of fruit orchards right behind our house, and my sisters and I would pick asparagus along the ditch bank. To me, asparagus was a weed, but my mom was always thrilled when we brought a bunch home for her to cook for dinner. I was a little skeptical when my Amish friend Priscilla shared her asparagus casserole recipe with me because I wasn’t fond of asparagus as a girl, but this recipe is a winner. It’s a wonderful-gute side dish for an authentic Amish meal. I halved this recipe when I made it so it was just enough for my hubby and me. Happy autumn!

Asparagus Casserole
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups cooked asparagus
• To cook the asparagus, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, cut asparagus sprigs in half, put them in the boiling water, and boil for 3 to 5 minutes depending on how thick your asparagus is.
• Do not overcook. No one likes mushy asparagus.
• After cooking, immediately rinse them in cold water.
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 ½ cups of milk
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Directions: In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Return to heat and gradually stir in the milk and bring to a boil until it thickens. (Thickening doesn’t take long. As soon as mine started to boil, it was thick enough.) Reduce heat to medium low and add the Velveeta cheese, stirring until it melts completely. Remove from heat. Add the asparagus and the eggs and mix lightly. Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 25 minutes.

Jennifer Beckstrand is the award winning Amish romance author of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series and The Honeybee Sisters series for Kensington Books. Huckleberry Summer was nominated for the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award and the 2015 RITA® Award, and Huckleberry Hill won the 2014 LIME Award for Inspirational fiction. Both Huckleberry Hill and Huckleberry Christmas appeared in Examiner.com list of top ten inspirational books for 2014. Her much-anticipated Amish series, The Honeybee Sisters, was released summer of 2016 and has created a lot of romantic buzz. Sweet as Honey received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and Sweet as Honey and A Bee in her Bonnet were both awarded Top Picks from RT Book Reviews. Jennifer has always been drawn to the strong faith and the enduring family ties of the Plain people and loves writing about the antics of Anna and Felty Helmuth and the Honeybee sisters’ aendi Bitsy. Jennifer has a degree in mathematics and a passion for Jane Austen and Shakespeare. She and her husband have been married for thirty-two years, and she has four daughters, two sons, and four adorable grandchildren, whom she spoils rotten.

For more information about Jennifer, check her Web site.  

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Chicken Sausage and Cheesy Orzo

This is easy and yummy!

Chicken Sausage and Cheesy Orzo

PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
12 mins
TOTAL TIME
22 mins

Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS
6 oz uncooked Orzo
2 tsp olive oil
1 chopped jalapeno
1/4 small chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 green bell pepper
1/2 cup bite sized broccoli florets
1/2 cup cauliflower
2 Chicken Sausage links
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup milk - or a bit more for creamier
½ cups shredded 3 cheese Blend

Follow instructions for Orzo when done set aside.

Saute onion, jalapeno, garlic until tender, add chicken slices to brown.

Add cauliflower and broccoli cook until tender and add orzo, milk and shredded cheese stir until cheese is melted and mixture is creamy. Serve hot with a salad or rolls. Pairs well with a Rose wine.

A Bunch of Burgers

When you need to have something easy and inexpensive for a large crowd of people.

Turkey Burgers
1 lb ground turkey.
Add basil, rosemary, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder. Measure to taste and mix thoroughly. Makes 6 to 7, 4 oz patties. Make patties and place on plate that has been sprayed with oil. Use parchment paper in between layers. Store in fridge until ready to grill. Serve on a bun, or without a bun. Pairs well with a rose wine. Or a lighter beer.

Beef Burgers
3 - 5 lbs of lean ground beef, depending how many you'd like to make.
Add sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, ground mustard, garlic powder, and onion powder. Measure to taste and mix thoroughly. Makes up to 18, 4 - 5 oz patties. Make patties and place on plate or pan that has been sprayed with oil. Use parchment paper in between layers. Store in fridge until ready to grill. Serve on a bun, or without a bun. Pairs well with a red wine or robust beer.

Serve both burgers with sliced onion, slice jalapeno, and lettuce or anything else you'd like to garnish your burger with. Enjoy!

Easy chicken pesto rice bowls

Easy chicken pesto rice bowls

This whole dinner is measured to taste and how many, so I'm making a list of ingredients. And then watch the video for more instructions.

Pesto
Basil
Olive Oil
Lemon juice
Parmesan cheese
Pine nuts Garlic Cloves

Chop the basil as fine as you can make it. Grind the pine nuts and garlic together and then mix with the rest.

Rice follow package directions for slow cooking rice.

Salt and pepper chicken (any cut) and then roll in pesto and set aside. Drain the Garbanzo beans and put half away and put half in the bowl. Add chili's from a can or if you have roasted chili add three large peppers. Cut small tomatoes in half and add. Cook all together with left over pesto and serve over rice.

Enjoy with a Rose wine.